Sandy Johnson

My mother was the original master gardener. She may not have the formal certificate but she’s got street cred. Her vast garden fed a hungry family of eight year-round, and inspired a love of gardening in all six of her children. Oh, we whined when we were sent out to weed, a never-ending task, and bickered among ourselves about who was slacking. Weeding eventually gave way to picking the day’s bounty. There’s nothing like eating a carrot just pulled from …

Now it’s Rick Santorum‘s turn. Santorum may have been robbed of momentum coming out of Iowa, where his victory was declared after the fact, but last night he may have gotten it all back as he swept Missouri, Colorado and Minnesota. Missouri was a nonbinding “beauty contest,” meaning no delegates were at stake. Those will be chosen at GOP party caucuses in mid-March. But it doesn’t tarnish the bragging rights of going three for three against the Mitt Romney juggernaut, …

From the Las Vegas Strip to cowboy country, Nevada Republicans bet heavily on Mitt Romney for president. He snared 48 percent of their caucus vote. The older the voter, the better Romney fared. Among 50- to 64-year-olds, he won 55 percent; among those 65 and older, he won 57 percent. Mormons made up an outsize proportion of the caucus-goers, and 9 of 10 voted for Romney, a Mormon. Still, there was a cautionary note for Romney. His share of the …

Florida (hearts) Mitt Romney. Especially older voters, who powered a definitive Romney victory over Newt Gingrich in the Republican presidential primary. Seven in 10 Florida primary voters were 50-plus. In the 50-64 age group, Romney won 44 percent to Gingrich’s 34 percent. In the 65-plus group, Romney’s victory was even more pronounced, 51 percent to 34 percent. Maybe Florida primary voters loved what Romney said about Medicare and Social Security, two lifelines in a state where 18 percent of the …

Florida is at the forefront of offering citizens multiple voting options. a) You can show up at your precinct’s polling place on primary day, Jan. 31. b) You can vote early, until Jan. 28, at city halls, libraries and other designated locations. c) You can vote absentee, typically returning your ballot by mail. Early voting is offered in 32 states and the District of Columbia, allowing voters to cast a ballot in person during a specific time frame that varies …

Welcome to the front lines of the housing crisis. Florida and three of the next states to vote in the GOP presidential contest are among the 10 worst foreclosure states in the nation. And there’s not much light at the end of the tunnel: The four states have the highest percentage of homeowners who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. Nevada, which votes Feb. 4, had the worst foreclosure rate in the country in 2011, for …